[Blindtlk] Action Alert: Your action isneeded tosaveaccessible textbookprogram
Steve Jacobson
steve.jacobson at visi.com
Fri May 20 21:20:31 UTC 2011
Chris,
I think you are distorting this particular issue to some extent. I certainly do not look to Federation leaders to give me the go-ahead on all issues that involve
the government. If I felt strongly about an issue and the Federation did not have a position and there was a time limit in which to act, I would do so quickly,
particularly if it were not related to blindness.
However, I don't "advocate" as you put it for any cause that happens to cross our lists. Just because someone writes "A Call to Action" doesn't mean that
it deserves my support. I tend to believe that if the entire future of accessible text books was really on the line that Federation leadership would probably
have said something. I also thought that the post I read on that issue was not very clear and didn't give me any details. I know there has been some
competition for funding between the old RFBD and BookShare in the past, and I don't know if I am prepared to jump into that on either side at this point
even though I am a member of both. In this particular case, I just did not feel the need to go into action without having heard something from someone who
was not involved, and I did not think it was an unreasonable position for someone to take that they'd like to hear something from our leadership on this
before deciding.
Best regards,
Steve Jacobson
On Fri, 20 May 2011 16:01:13 -0400, Âris Nusbaum wrote:
>Hi, Steve,
>I don't have a problem with taking advice from our leaders to put
>into our lives. Our leaders, like Dr. Maurer, John Paré and the
>rest of the governmental affairs department, Dr. Jernigan, Dr.
>Ten'Broek, and others have a lot of wisdom and experience that we
>can listen to and take into our own lives. However, what I do
>have a problem with is the general idea of not taking any action
>in personal advocacy, especially with * your * government (yes,
>contrary to some people's belief, the government is there to
>answer to the people, not the other way around according to the
>Constitution) unless you have "orders" from the leaders of the
>NFB. There comes a time where you have to be a leader and take
>advocacy into your own hands, regardless of whether the
>governmental affairs leaders at NFB have caught on to it. You
>have to lead in your own self-advocacy and that of other blind
>people, in our case! Because we are a minority, we can't wait for
>others to either do it for us or ask us to advocate in the name
>of an organization or group of like-minded people. We must lead
>in our own advocacy, in my opinion! What do you think Dr.
>Ten'Broek and the other founders of the Federation did back in
>1940? They didn't wait for some higher-up to do it for them, they
>said "We need to fight for our rights as blind people," and thus
>started the NFB to do just that, and that's what we've been doing
>for 70 plus years. That's where I come from on this!
> Chris
>"A loss of sight, never a loss of vision!" (Camp Abilities motto)
>--- Sent from my BrailleNote
> ----- Original Message -----
>From: "Steve Jacobson" <steve.jacobson at visi.com
>To: "Blind Talk Mailing List" <blindtlk at nfbnet.org
>Date sent: Thu, 19 May 2011 15:45:21 -0500
>Subject: Re: [Blindtlk] Action Alert: Your action isneeded
>tosaveaccessible textbookprogram
>Chris,
>Speaking for myself, I think it is risky to run out and give
>unconditional support based upon an appeal from the agency who is
>trying to get the funding. It
>isn't that they would be dishonest, but they would present the
>issue in the way that would benefit them the most. What is this
>"competition" that they
>mention? Personally, I would just as soon see them survive, but
>if you don't want to take orders from our leaders, and those are
>your words not mine, why
>are you taking orders from Learning Ally, unquestioning acting on
>their letter? When I act upon the advice of our leaders it is
>partly because I trust them, but
>it is also partly because I am somewhat familiar with the issue.
>The exact nature of this issue was not spelled out as far as I
>can tell. I am probably even a
>little miffed that one week they take us out of their name but
>the next week they want our support, but that is a little
>childish on my part and I'm past that.
><smile
>Best regards,
>Steve Jacobson
>.
>On Thu, 19 May 2011 15:57:40 -0400, Âris Nusbaum wrote:
>Great! Way to advocate for yourself! I also passed that email on
>to the NFB Talk list, where I got a reply from a guy saying that
>he wouldn't act without orders from John Paré, Jesse Hartle, or
>Lauren McLarney. By the way, in case some of you don't know,
>they're the people in charge of the governmental affairs
>department at NFB. Really? The NFB is trying to teach us to be
>self advocates, not to only advocate when orders come from the
>NFB higher-ups. Um... independence?
> Chris
>"A loss of sight, never a loss of vision!" (Camp Abilities motto)
>--- Sent from my BrailleNote
>----- Original Message -----
>From: "Sherri" <flmom2006 at gmail.com
>To: <blinddog3 at charter.net>,"Blind Talk Mailing List"
><blindtlk at nfbnet.org
>Date sent: Wed, 18 May 2011 01:41:38 -0400
>Subject: Re: [Blindtlk] Action Alert: Your action is needed
>tosaveaccessible textbookprogram
>I passed this on to the NFB-FL list. I believe it is a
>worthwhile endeavor.
>I used their services throughout high school and college. I
>would have had a
>really difficult time getting books without them.
>Sherri
>Have you visited my personal page at
>http://www.raceforindependence.org/goto/Sherri.Brun
>If so, Thank you for changing what it means to be blind.
>If not, please go there now!
>Thank you.
>flmom2006 at gmail.com
>----- Original Message -----
>From: "Steven Johnson" <blinddog3 at charter.net
>To: "'Blind Talk Mailing List'" <blindtlk at nfbnet.org
>Sent: Tuesday, May 17, 2011 7:47 PM
>Subject: Re: [Blindtlk] Action Alert: Your action is needed to
>saveaccessible textbookprogram
> Chris, I love your individual advocacy plea...that is what being
>an
> independent blind person is all about. I don't need to, nor
>will take
> directions from anyone on an issue that I personally feel will
>impact
> myself
> or my peers, so again, thanks for the heads-up!
> Steve
> Steve
> -----Original Message-----
> From: blindtlk-bounces at nfbnet.org
>[mailto:blindtlk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
> Behalf Of Chris Nusbaum
> Sent: Tuesday, May 17, 2011 3:44 PM
> To: Blind Talk list; NABS list; nfbmd at nfbnet.org;
>nfb-talk at nfbnet.org
> Subject: [Blindtlk] Action Alert: Your action is needed to save
>accessible
> textbookprogram
> Please pass this on and take action yourself!
> Chris Nusbaum
> "A loss of sight, never a loss of vision!" (Camp Abilities
>motto)
> --- Sent from my Braille-Note
> ---- Original Message ------
> From: "Learning Ally, formerly RFB&D" <advocacy at learningally.org
> Subject: Action Alert: Your action is needed to save accessible
> textbookprogram
> Date sent: Tue, 17 May 2011 14:12:41 -0400 (EDT)
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>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> Advocates' Action Alert
>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> May 17, 2011
>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> Your immediate action is needed to help hundreds of thousands of
> students with print
> disabilities.
> Secretary of Education Arne Duncan is wavering on his commitment
> to hold a competition
> to fund accessible educational materials and textbooks for the
> hundreds of thousands
> of students who cannot use a standard textbook.
> You need to e-mail Secretary Duncan's office today to urge him
>to
> hold the competition
> and preserve the program.
> Under the FY 2011 budget passed by the Congress, Secretary
>Duncan
> has the discretion
> to hold a competition for the development, production and
> distribution of educational
> materials in accessible formats to students with visual
> impairments and other print
> disabilities. The US Department of Education has supported this
> project for more
> than 30 years, and President Obama included it in his FY 2011
> budget plan. Now
> the Secretary might use these funds for other projects!
> The Secretary needs to hear from you today to prevent the
> shifting of funds away
> from this vital program.
> The Secretary might make his decision as soon as the end of the
> week so we need
> you to e-mail him today. Your voice and that of hundreds of
> other supporters urged
> the Congress to preserve the funding in the budget, and Congress
> heard you and took
> action. Now we need your voice to urge Secretary Duncan to
> preserve the funding
> for accessible materials and to hold the competition.
> Hundreds of thousands of students benefit from this program each
> year and if the
> Secretary does not fund it this year its future is unknown. We
> need your voice
> to be heard again!
> Please e-mail Secretary Duncan's office today. We have included
> the sample language
> below to help you in making your e-mail. Please add your
> personal story, name and
> hometown to your message!
> Secretary Duncan's e-mail is arne.duncan at ed.gov
> [mailto:arne.duncan at ed.gov]
> RE: Urgent Support Needed for Students with Print Disabilities
> Dear Secretary Duncan:
> I am writing to share with you my support for the accessible
> educational materials
> project and Learning Ally.
> Learning Ally has a long-established relationship with the
> Department of Education
> and has had broad support in Congress, state departments of
> education and 10,000
> schools from coast to coast. I urge you to continue that
> support by holding a competition
> for the development, production and distribution of educational
> materials in accessible
> formats to students with visual impairments and other print
> disabilities.
> Learning Ally is a critical partner in the success of hundreds
>of
> thousands of students,
> and federal support of their efforts, leveraged with private
> philanthropy, has made
> much of their work possible. Continue USDE's 30-year commitment
> to students with
> disabilities and hold the competition.
> Sincerely,
> As we keep the pressure up on the Department with our allies in
> Congress, we will
> update our Policy Advocates' Center
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> with you when key decisions are to be made.
> Your support has helped to preserve this program so far, and
>will
> be a key to its
> future!
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